1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording apparatus, and particularly to a recording apparatus in which before a recording material discharged from a main body of the recording apparatus is discharged to a discharged recording material supporting portion, the recording material is held to dry an ink, then after it is discharged to the supporting portion.
2. Related Background Art
Generally, conventional recording apparatuses are constructed such that recording materials on which recording has been effected are discharged onto a discharge tray. This construction is also widely adopted in ink jet recording apparatuses. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, normal recording, for example the recording of documents or tables having small recording density, suffers from no problem. However, if recording density is great as in color recording, when a recording material on which image has been recorded is discharged, there has been the problem that a leading end edge portion or a back face thereof rubs against recording materials already stacked on the discharge tray to cause disturbance or the like of the image on the recording surface thereof.
In order to solve the above-noted problem, according to the prior art, as shown in FIG. 10, a discharge tray 51 onto which a recording material S is discharged is provided with a pair of side rail members 52 and 53 rotatable about pivots 52a and 53a, respectively, and disposed in opposed relationship with each other with a predetermined interval therebetween. Outside these side rail members 52 and 53, there are provided wall surfaces 54 and 55 formed with recesses 54a and 55a into which the side rail members 52 and 53 can be pivotally moved in the directions of arrows a and b, respectively, and are retracted from the recording material S.
When the recording material S is discharged in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording material S of FIG. 10 (to this side in FIG. 10) by a discharge roller (not shown), the side rail members 52 and 53 are held in their closed positions as shown in FIG. 10 to support and hold the recording material S above the discharge stacker 56 of the discharge tray 51. In this state, ink discharged onto the recording surface of the recording material S already discharged onto the discharge stacker 56 can be dried and the stain of the image on the recording surface can be prevented.
Thereafter, the side rail members 52 and 53 may be rotated in the directions of arrows a and b, respectively, in FIG. 10 to thereby retract them from the recording material S, and the recording material S held by the side rail members 52 and 53 may be dropped onto the discharge stacker 56.
Also, in another prior art, a movable support arm for dropping a sheet to be a recording material onto a discharge tray after the sheet has arrived at the terminal position of a conveyance route is provided. When the sheet is moved along the conveyance route, the movable support arm is disposed so as to be selectively positioned on the lower surface of the central portion of the sheet synchronous with the sheet conveying operation, to thereby hold the sheet during recording on the upper portion of the discharge tray. Thereby, the ink of the sheet already supported on the discharge tray can be dried and the stain or the like of the recording surface thereof can be prevented.
In the prior art shown in FIG. 10, however, the side rail members 52 and 53 are disposed at the fixed position, and therefore the side rail members 52 and 53 are set at the position corresponding to the maximum size (e.g. size A3) of the recording material S discharged.
When the size of the recording material S used in the above-described construction is a size (e.g. size B5) smaller than the maximum size, there is a case where the recording material S can be held only by the side rail member (52 or 53) on one side, so that the recording material S on the side which is not held rubs against the recording material S already discharged onto the discharge stacker 56 to generate the disturbance or the like of the recording surface.
As a countermeasure for this, it is conceivable to set the diametral lengths of the side rail members 52 and 53 rotated about the rotation centers 52a and 53a greater to thereby widen the range for holding the recording material S. However, this leads to the problem that when the guide rail members 52 and 53 are rotated in the directions of arrows a and b in FIG. 10 about the rotation centers 52a and 53a to drop the recording material S onto the discharge stacker 56, the radius of the rotation of the side rail members 52 and 53 becomes large and a large space becomes necessary above the side rail members 52 and 53, whereby the apparatus becomes bulky.
Also, when the radius of the rotation of the side rail members 52 and 53 becomes large, if the recording material S held by the side rail members 52 and 53 is dropped onto the discharge stacker 56, the recording material S drops onto the discharge stacker 56 after it is once greatly raised upwardly. Therefore, there is the problem that the supported state of the recording material on the discharge stacker 56 during the drop thereof varies greatly, so that the supportability of the recording material on the discharge stacker 56 becomes bad, or the end portion of the recording material S remains on one side of the side rail members 52 and 53 to contact with a recording material S discharged subsequently.
Also, another prior art described previously copes with the problem arising when sheets of different sheet sizes or large sizes are used, but it is necessary to synchronize the movable support arm with the sheet conveying operation, which leads to the problem that the mechanism becomes complicated and the cost of the apparatus becomes high.
The present invention solves the above-noted problems and has the object to provide a recording apparatus in which even when a recording material of a different size is used, it is prevented from rubbing against a recorded recording material already discharged to and supported on a recording material discharge supporting portion, to thereby prevent the disturbance of the recording surface (image) thereof and to improve the dischargeability and supportability of the recording materials, by the simple construction.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the recording apparatus has a recording material discharging and supporting portion for supporting thereon a recording material discharged, recording material holding means changeable to a holding position for holding the discharged recording material before it is discharged to the recording material discharging and supporting portion and a retracted position for supporting the recording material from its held state onto the recording material discharge supporting portion, and moving means for moving the position of the recording material holding means in conformity with the size of the discharged recording material.
According to the present invention, even when a recording material of a different size is discharged, the moving means moves the position of the recording material holding means in conformity with the size of the discharged recording material, so that the discharged recording material can be prevented from rubbing against a recorded recording material already discharged to the recording material discharge supporting portion, whereby the disturbance of the recording surface (image) thereof can be prevented, and the dischargeability and supportability thereof can be improved.
Also, when the change of the posture of the recording material holding means between the holding position and the retracted position is effected by the driving of recording material discharging means, existing driving means can be used to make the construction simple.
Also, the recording material discharging means has a discharging rotatable member for discharging the recording material, and in rotation in a direction in which the discharging rotatable member discharges the recording material, the recording material holding means is set in the holding position, while in rotation in the opposite direction, the recording material holding means is set in the retracted position.
Also, on the rotary shaft of the discharging rotatable member, there is provided a one-way clutch which does not transmit a driving force to the recording material holding means during the rotation of the discharging rotatable member in a direction to discharge the recording material, but transmits the driving force to the recording material holding means during the rotation thereof in a direction opposite thereto.
Also, with the recording material holding means changed from the holding position to the retracted position, even if the discharge of the recording material is completed and the recording material holding means is held in the retracted position, the rigidity of the recording material holding means against the external force applied by a falling object or the like thereto becomes great, which is preferable.
Also, the recording material holding means has a recording material holding member changeable to a holding position for holding the discharged recording material before it is discharged to the recording material discharge supporting portion and a retracted position for mounting the recording material from its held state onto the recording material discharge supporting portion, the moving means supports the recording material holding member, a recording material holding member holder movable from the position of the recording material holding member in conformity with the size of the discharged recording material is provided, and a grip portion operated for the movement of the recording material holding member holder serves also as a guide for the discharged recording material.
Also, in the driving system of the recording material holding means, there is provided a torque limiter for limiting the transmission of a driving force in a direction in which the holding means is changed from the holding position for holding the discharged recording material before it is discharged to the recording material discharge supporting portion to the retracted position for mounting the recording material on the recording material discharge supporting portion.
Also, in the driving system of the recording material holding means, there is a cam for changing the holding means from the holding position for holding the discharged recording material before it is discharged to the recording material discharge supporting portion to the retracted position for mounting the recording material on the recording material supporting portion, and constructing the cam and the recording material holding member to be engaged with each other within the range of movement of the recording material holding member holder is preferable.
Also, the recording material holding means is constructed such that the holding height thereof becomes greater in a direction away from the recording material discharging means for discharging the recording material, or that the holding position comes into the inside of the recording material in a direction away from the recording material discharging means.
Also, a recording material discharge supporting unit comprising a recording material discharge supporting portion for supporting thereon the recording material discharged from a recording apparatus main body, and recording material holding means changeable to a holding position for holding the recording material discharged from the main body before it is discharged to the recording material discharge supporting portion and a retracted position for supporting the recording material from its held state onto the recording material discharge supporting portion, and the recording material discharge supporting portion and the recording material holding means are integrally made into a unit. The recording material discharge supporting unit is removably mountable with respect to the main body, so that the recording material can be discharged from the main body even when the unit is detached from the main body.